Behind the Music: The Uncut Story of Ember McLain
by Word-Stranger
Summary: Oneshot. Ember stops by Danny's room and their relationship grows. Sequel to 'The Color of Love is Blue'. Rated T for language.


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**I was inspired by the reviewer "RogalDorn" to do another DxE oneshot. Thanks!**

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"Honey, is that you?"Maddie Fenton called out from the kitchen, hearing the sound of the door shutting. She was trying her hand at cooking again, only for every meal to come out of the oven a half food, half ghost creature that Jack Fenton, who was forced to taste test the concoctions, subdued with a Ecto Foamer Cannon at hand.

"Yeah Mom! Just...had a, a little extra schoolwork to do. I was at the library with Tucker and Sam."Danny replied, quickly rushing up the stairs to his room, he didn't want her to see the scrapes on his face and his bandaged forearm, the wound dripping a mixture of red and green blood. He hated lying, but he had to do it to keep the other side of his life hidden. He sighed with relief once he was inside, closing the door for the sanctuary of every teen, their room.

He laid down on his bed, closing his eyes for a moments rest. One minute, there was only thin air beside him. A split second later, a physical body."Sup, babypop?"Ember asked.

Danny nearly screamed, flailing his arms about and falling out of the bed to land with a dull thud.

"What the heck are doing here?"He whispered intensely, getting back up."My parent's security system could sense you any time!"

Ember was calm, smiling at him."If it can't even pick you up, then it won't register me either."

Danny gave an exasperated groan, rubbing his temples to get rid of the stress. She stood up, walking next to Danny to examine him closely."Who-or what-did a number on you?"

"Skulker..."He replied, sitting back down on his bed."Trying to lob off my head and mount it on his wall again."

Ember followed, sitting next to him, the feeling of a conversation coming on."My ex-boyfriend?"She mused.

"Eww!"Danny exclaimed.

"What? He liked my music."

"But still...EW."

"I actually found his tech kind of sexy."

"Again with the ew."

They shared a laugh together, an icebreaker for the earlier tension found in Danny. He calmed, finding his sanctuary a bit more comfortable and friendly with Ember. Now all he needed was some artificially flavored cheese snacks and he would be good to go.

"Oh, speaking of music...and on a much more cleaner note, tech,"Danny reached into his pocket, pulling out an iPod with the earphones tangled around it. Once the earphones were back to being untangled and usable, Ember snatched it from him and began to thumb through the library of music, nodding in approval at the rock songs she passed and gagging in disgust at the bubblegum pop musical pieces found in there as well. She was happy to find that her favorite Punk band, Smashing Pumpkins, was a choice, selecting their song 'Zero'. She placed a headphone in her left ear and offered the other to Danny. They laid back on his bed, listening to the static-edgy guitar and Billy Corgan's creepy vocals.

As the song reached it's end, Danny ventured out a question he hoped he wouldn't regret."Ember...how did you die?"

She was silent, making Danny's uncomfortable tension return to the pit of his stomach."If you don't wanna answer..."

"Naw, it's okay Danny. I guess...you deserve to know."She paused to take a breath, and began to relate her story.

"I was born in the 80's, the revolution of youth just startin' out. I joined it, feeling so good about myself. I was part of something big, HUGE, something that wouldn't just leave a small dent, it could change the entire freakin' planet. The revolution, it made me. And suffice to say...it broke me. I was payed to do a gig at one of the revolution's rallies, and I felt so excited, top of the world. I practiced for days on this guitar,"She pointed with her thumb at her signature instrument."I played and played until my fingers bled, I rewrote my own song dozens of times until it felt perfect to me, and I could sing it perfectly."

"The day of the rally came, and I came onstage mid-way. The crowd was massive, and I was pretty sure I looked like an idiot. But, I played. I played my little friggin' heart out on that friggin' afternoon...they cheered, and the top of the world feeling was back. But the cheering was just in my head. They were laughing...some even booing. I didn't find out until I finished my song and went backstage. I wasn't even paid. I left in a rage, my bandmates driving me home. Once I was in my house, I felt so betrayed, so broken, so...screwed. I guess...I kinda lost it."

Danny listened intently.

"I...committed suicide."

He gulped, and her hand touched his.

"Self-cremation. Drugged up with pain relievers, then took lighter fluid and a match to myself."

She took in a gasp of breath, and her body shuddered at the memories."Barely felt a thing...only a sharp sting over my whole body. I blacked out after half an hour of walking around aflame...and when I woke up, the next thing I saw was my realm in the ghost zone."

"Wandered around for a few years...getting a reputation among the dead crowd, and decided to have a comeback tour in the world of the living. The rest...you already know."

"I...I-I'm sorry."Danny said, not knowing what to do next. Nobody had really ever opened up to him like that before.

"Don't be..."She cried, her voice cracking. Tears streamed down her face, making her mascara run wild in a black liquid strain."The dead aren't allowed to cry..."She murmured to herself, covering her face.

"Maybe sometimes, they should."Danny said gently, removing her hands, staring straight into her eyes. They embraced, Danny feeling and sharing her pain, Ember feeling like she was on top of the world with this halfa beside her.

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**'Behind the Music' is a phrase that belongs to VH1.**

**The band title and 'Zero' belongs to the Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan belongs to himself, Billy Corgan.**

**The 'iPod' belongs to Apple.**

**Now that the copyright junk is out of the way, hope you enjoyed the fic.**


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